Converting to tubeless

[pagheca]

days ago in a somewhat difficult stretch I got a flat, got fed up and am now thinking of changing to tubeless my two 29" x 2.4" tires asap.

Given that I live on an island where online distributors - Amazon included, just to give an example - do not deliver because of problems with totally unreliable customs, very long custom times and high import taxes, what do you recommend?

I do routes on the road but mostly ride off-road, on steep paths covered with sharp stones. One of the few local stores charges around €160-170 for the conversion, but I would like to put on quality tires (they have Maxxis and Bontrager in store). I am also uncertain whether to do it myself at home, risking in case of some damage to loose the warranty, or let them do it for about 10 € more.

Advice and suggestions welcome. Thanks!

 

[DieselTech]

What are the advantages to a tubeless tire? I guess on a road bike or race bike I could see tubeless being a good thing, Less overall weight.

But I guess I cant see tubeless being better or a advantage with offroad type riding.
I would think a kevlar reinforced tire & a heavy duty tube with Sportsman FlatOut would be the best option. Maybe I'm wrong.

I'm asking this cause idk the answer & would like to learn something along the way as well.

 

[pagheca]

Sure, no problems: the reason is simply that every single person I have talked to or read, including on this forum, says that tubeless tyres are much less prone to punctures, especially off-road.

 

[DieselTech]

Is there somewhere I can research as to why a tubeless tire is less prone to the punctures? Are tubeless tires a thicker casing or something?

It's something I have never researched & curious now. Thanks.

 

[pagheca]

Don't worry, it was a mystery to me too. It seems to be mainly about the sealant you can put inside. Search for something like "bicycle tubeless vs tube puncture probability". You will find a number of resources that ALL say the same thing.

Note that there are other advantages (more confort, far less probability of punctures and many ways to fix a puncture by the others) and a few disadvantages (more difficult to install, expensive, valve clogs).

 

[Django]

Is there somewhere I can research as to why a tubeless tire is less prone to the punctures? Are tubeless tires a thicker casing or something?

It's something I have never researched & curious now. Thanks.

The big advantage is that you don’t get pinch flats and small punctures are self healing. You can also run lower tire pressure because you don’t have to worry about pinch flats. The down side is that tire changes can be messy and if you get a larger puncture you may get stranded. You can also have a burping problem, especially at low tire pressures.

I have stayed with tubes for now and I probably will stay with them in the future, (old guys don’t tend to do well with change). I like that I have never been stranded because I could always repair a flat on the side of the road or trail. I also like the no mess aspect of using an inner tube. I haven’t had a puncture in about 15 years a now, (ever since I stopped using 23mm racing tires and lightweight tubes).

 

[Django]

These folks are pretty entertaining and very expert.

 

[pagheca]

The big advantage is that you don’t get pinch flats and small punctures are self healing. You can also run lower tire pressure because you don’t have to worry about pinch flats.

would you say the same about off-road in particular?

 

[Django]

would you say the same about off-road in particular?

I am not an expert. I would think that off-road riders are more likely to tear a sidewall which tubeless won’t help, but that is not based on any hard data.

I would suggest that anyone riding tubeless should probably carry a tube, patch kit and inflator just like riders that use tubes. If I was still getting pinch flats, I would probably switch to tubeless, but that’s not the case, so in my situation, I will stay with tubes.

 

[pagheca]

thanks. What kind of a road surface are you mainly riding? I'm just trying to understand which is the difference. If the road, the usage, the tire or just luck.

 

[Django]

Tires have become more durable and the trend with road riders is to go with larger tires, (25 to 28mm replacing 23 or smaller). I still ride with fairly lightweight tubes, but not the fragile old racing tubes.

Our roads haven’t improved and I ride on a good variety of road surfaces. I’m not a heavy rider at 170 pounds and my road bike is extremely light, but I am about 15 pounds heavier than I was back when I was getting pinch flats. This leads me and many others to believe that the lack of flats is due to the use of larger and better tires and tubes. The rim width and shape could also be a factor.

On my eBike I use 40mm Maxxis Receptors. I use Continental tubes on both bikes. My e-bikes tires have over 3000 miles of gravel and paved roads. I don’t baby my tires and I haven’t had a flat in many years, (I think that It has been more 15years).

I am not advocating for or against tubeless. I just want people to understand the pros, cons and limitations. I also recommend GCN as a good source of cycling knowledge and just as entertainment.

 

[smritte]

I'm running tubeless on my Levo for the first time.
I ride moderate mountain trails and dirt roads but, the tubeless was recommended to me because I also use it while exploring the Mojave desert. Here I ride moderate dirt roads and two tracks The issue now is cactus thorns and sharp rocks. I don't ride across the open desert but small sharp rocks and some cactus thorns are common on the roads.

In the past I carried a repair kit and a spare tube. So far only a few small repairs. With the liners inside my tubeless tire supposedly, if I gashed a sidewall bad enough, I could ride it flat without damaging my rim. Its not uncommon for me to venture out 20 miles from camp.

Beside being slightly stiffer, they tend to bleed air over time. I need to check and add a bit of air every couple of weeks.

My desert season starts in a couple of weeks. I guess I'll see if its worth the trouble.

 

[fabbrisd]

To pursue "maximum flat protection" you are "thinking" about running tubeless tires & with tubes - and 29"x wove width out to 2.5/2.6 - am I about right ?

There are a slection of solid/well-engineered tires out there - best to look for 30TPI or 6oTPI contruction (the lower the number the better for you) - running tibeless with tubes is very prudent.

If you want to be Invicible in Mojave - then (1) add Mr Tuffy 2XL tire leinders (green) $40-$50 + (2) FlatOut Sportsman Tire Sealant AAA+ $20 + (3) carry rechargeable bike pump $20-$80

Mr Tuffy are the ONLY repurable/well-tested liner & FlatOut is best formula tire sealant - if you do get a flat/leak with FlatOut INCREASING TIRE PRESSURE ASSISTS THE LEAK TO SEAL

Its's all your decision - FlatOut has been top nothc for me - and I use in all my eBikes - and have I have since dropped "Tuffy's" and rely on FlatOut - but heck you will be riding Desert Wasteland

 

[pagheca]

To pursue "maximum flat protection" you are "thinking" about running tubeless tires & with tubes - and 29"x wove width out to 2.5/2.6 - am I about right ?

sorry for the misunderstanding: no, I plan to use tubeless tires... tubeless.

 

[smritte]

f you want to be Invicible in Mojave - then (1) add Mr Tuffy 2XL tire leinders (green) $40-$50 + (2) FlatOut Sportsman Tire Sealant AAA+ $20 + (3) carry rechargeable bike pump $20-$80

Thank you. Already ahead on this matter.
I went with the heavy tire liners early on. A co2/manual pump in my opinion is a must to carry as well as a repair kit. My off road experience taught me a long time ago how to armor my vehicles and the extra weight of at least basic tools is a must for the areas I go. My only hope is that I don't tear a tire as bad as I have with my off road truck tires. Its kind of hard to "patch" a 4 inch gash in a tire.

 

[HumanPerson]

Thank you. Already ahead on this matter.
I went with the heavy tire liners early on. A co2/manual pump in my opinion is a must to carry as well as a repair kit. My off road experience taught me a long time ago how to armor my vehicles and the extra weight of at least basic tools is a must for the areas I go. My only hope is that I don't tear a tire as bad as I have with my off road truck tires. Its kind of hard to "patch" a 4 inch gash in a tire.

it takes bout a day to sew it up then add liquid rubber on the inside

 

[pagheca]

I thought I was going to order "the best off-road tyres I can find", whatever they cost and however difficult it is to import them, but after some searching on the internet I am more confused than ever

I need something for difficult terrain, heavy weight (30kg bikes with accessories + 100kg me + clothes), slow to moderate speed, available for 29" x 2.4"

Any advice?

 

[DieselTech]

I thought I was going to order "the best off-road tyres I can find", whatever they cost and however difficult it is to import them, but after some searching on the internet I am more confused than ever

I need something for difficult terrain, heavy weight (30kg bikes with accessories + 100kg me + clothes), slow to moderate speed, available for 29".

Any advice?

What width of tire you needing? I might have a couple good recommendations depending on the width. Thanks.

 

[Smaug]

What width of tire you needing? I might have a couple good recommendations depending on the width. Thanks.

He said 29 x 2.4” in the original post.

---

When you get a flat, how big is the hole? If it’s not too big, I think tubeless and Flat-out is a good idea. Then carry a tube in your tool kit in case you get a puncture too big for the sealant to address.

Schwalbe makes good puncture resistant tires, can you order those?

 

[Smaug]

Tires have become more durable and the trend with road riders is to go with larger tires, (25 to 28mm replacing 23 or smaller). I still ride with fairly lightweight tubes, but not the fragile old racing tubes.

FYI: 28 mm is about the smallest that road bikers run nowadays, with 32 mm being very popular, and 35 mm isn’t uncommon.

I run 32s on my Trek Domane and I like them. They don’t seem to show me down on the road, but they’re wide enough to handle smooth gravel trails, even the occasional soft spots.

There is also a gravel bike trend going on, which are slightly more rugged road bikes running 35-50 mm tires, now that disc brakes are taking over.